Betrothed
by RuhiNunchuck
Summary: Things are happening all over the Avatarverse. Suki has come back to the water tribe to see Sokka but Suki discovers something late one night that may jeopardize their relationship. What will become of Suki and Sokka if this keeps up? /Sukka*Toko*Kataang/
1. Part 1 Arrivals and Reunions

A/N: Hey guys! So here's my 2nd fan fic. Once again Sukka centric. I'm doing this in honor of Valentines day. This fic is based off my "Betrothed" piece on my DevinatArt (.com) Hope you like it =3

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The auburn haired girl stretched as she stepped off the boat and onto the icy dock; blue eyes searching for the one she had been waiting to see for weeks. She met another pair of blue eyes, but they were not the ones she was looking for.

"Suki." Katara smiled warmly as she hugged the Kyoshi warrior.

"Hello Katara." she replied, hugging the waterbender back. Her breath fanned out in a cloud of white before her face.

Katara pulled away holding Suki at arms length for a moment; she seemed to be studying the warrior's face. Suki gave her a puzzled look as a grin broke across the other girl's face again.

"It's good to see you." Katara said, breaking the awkward silence and giving her another quick squeeze.

Suki looked at her dubiously, "Same to you. I'm surprised you're not with Aang."

Katara sighed, "I know. I just arrived back from the capitol a week ago. He and Zuko were so busy with meetings, he thought I'd be happier and less bored here."

"That was pretty thoughtful of him."

"That's Twinkletoes for ya, thoughtful of others and stuff." Another familiar voice spoke up.

"Toph!" Suki's eyes grew wide in shock, as the small earthbender appeared from behind Katara, "I'm so surprised you're here!"

"Yeah me too." Toph scoffed, sticking her finger in her ear then taking it out and flicking whatever came out off, "I was that the Fire Nation with Sugar Queen here and they sent me back with her."

Suki laughed as she moved forward to hug her young friend, "I'm astonished you listened."

Toph snorted, "Oh, and cuz I know you're _dying _to know, Snoozles is out fishing or hunting or something."

"He left a few hours ago, " Katara added, "He should be back soon."

She grinned, her friends knew her too well.

"Well," Suki said, "I sure hope so. And while we're talking about people who are here, I'm not the only Kyoshi warrior who came along." And as if on cue, a familiar brown haired girl leapt from the boats deck, did a summersault in the air and landed nimbly in the snow next to Suki.

"Who is it?" Toph asked.

"Ty Lee!" Katara cried.

"How's it goin'?" The former circus performer beamed at the other two.

Toph snorted, " Stupid snow. Alright guys, let's get somewhere warmer, my feet are freezing and I'm almost completely blind."

The other girls laughed and Katara led them to one of the larger huts.

*~*~*~*

Suki sat in silence as the four girls caught up. Most of her time had been spent with Ty Lee, so she let her do the talking. She talked enough for the both of them to be sure, so Suki did not mind. Besides, Ty Lee was better at telling stories then she was. Suki sipped at her tea as Katara began telling them how Zuko and Aang were doing with the rebuilding efforts.

"From what I've heard, most of the larger cities have been rebuilt. Save, Ba Sing Se because of the walls."

Suki and Ty Lee nodded in confirmation.

"But they've started moving on to the smaller cities and towns. Though, there are still problems with some of Ozai's old followers but Zuko's men are slowly regaining control of those areas. He's even asked aid of the Freedom Fighters."

"Really?" Ty Lee's eyes were wide with interest, "How are they doing without Jet on the front lines?"

"They're doing fine. Smellerbee and Longshot have taken up the lead until he's fit again to fight. Jet's recovering quicker then I thought he would. "

"We stopped by on the way back," Toph explained, "And Sweetness here worked her waterbending magic on him." She waggled her fingers in the air, symbolizing waterbending.

Katara rolled her eyes; "He's walking on his own now. He won't need the crutches for too much longer. All the scars are still there though…" her voice trailed off as her smile faded.

Suki put a comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder, "I'm sure you did everything you could. Besides, from what I've heard about Jet, he'd rather have the scars there to remind him of what happened."

"He's a lot like Zuko in that respect." Katara agreed, "Isn't that right Toph." A smile curved on the water tribe girl's lips.

"Yeah, sure whatever." Toph snorted and Suki could have sworn she had seen the earthbender's cheeks grow pink. But before she could say anything on the matter there was a rush of air and something collided into her.

"SUKI!" his voice cried, as he embraced her tightly.

"Sokka!" She smiled, turning so that she could wrap her arms around his waist and kiss him, "I've been waiting for you."

"I know, " he groaned, positioning himself so that he was next to her, "I would have been here sooner if I hadn't hooked the giant fish that I did." He threw his hands up in the air as he said it then let them fall so that one rested around Suki's shoulders.

A laugh came from Katara's direction, "So you actually caught something this time?"

Sokka scowled, "Yes, my dear little sister. As a matter of fact, I did."

Everyone laughed, except the still-scowling Sokka and Suki poured him some tea. They continued talking and laughing but Suki stayed silent, closing her eyes and leaning into him. He smelled of everything she remember of him, sea water, and fish, and this particular musk that only Sokka had. It was then she realized how much she had truly missed him over the past few months. She smiled in spite of herself. For the first time in awhile, she was happy.


	2. Part 2 Confusion and Partings

A/N : Yay part 2. Please Read & Review! ((and please don't hate on Suki for this part!))

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The next few weeks passed with little fanfare, Sokka had gone off fishing again and Suki was helping Katara with chores. The two girls were airing out a hut when Suki realized someone was missing.

"Hey Katara?" the waterbender peered around the animal skin blanket at her in response, "Where's Toph?"

"Oh," Katara smiled and continued beating at the blanket with a rod, "She went fishing with Sokka again."

"Really."

"Apparently." Katara shrugged and continued on her chores.

Suki frowned and grabbed a basin and went down at the river. She filled it and turned back towards the village. She felt ill at ease for some reason and did not understand why. She took a moment and looked at the village; it had grown since she had last been there. The wall was extended out and more huts had been built. Even Sokka's watchtower had been rebuilt. Suki chuckled to her self as she remember the despair in his voice when she had asked Sokka what had happened to the last one. In the distance she saw Ty Lee walking on her hands. The acrobat had decided to take it upon her self to keep all of the tribe's children entertained. She heaved a sigh as she lifted the basin and walked back to Katara.

Sokka and Toph returned not long after the sun had set. Sokka had rushed into the tent that Katara and Suki were setting up supper in.

"Katara! Dad's back!" He cried.

"Dad?!"

"His boat just docked." Sokka beamed.

Katara jumped up and flew out of the hut. Sokka walked over to Suki and helped her up, "You're coming too." he said, kissing her cheek lightly.

She let him lead her out into the snow as she pulled the fur-lined jacket he had given to her around her shoulders tighter. The sun had completely set, torches had been lit and a large fire had been started. The moon sat swollen in the sky giving everything outside of the reach of the flames' light a pale blue glow. She could see the water tribe ships' sails against the dark sky.

Heads turned as the two approached. The men of the tribe had been in the Fire Nation for the better part of the year aiding in training, rebuilding and restructuring of the Fire Nation's Navy. Sokka had even been asked to make plans for new ships, which Suki recalled him being very excited about, all at the Fire Lord's request.

They finally made it to the dock, while the other men were unloading the ships and reuniting with their own families. Hakoda had just finished hugging his daughter and giving his greetings to Toph as they approached. His smiled widened as they, making the corners of his eyes crinkle more. He looked very tired.

"Suki, it's nice to see you again."

"As it is to see you, Chief Hakoda." Suki bowed her head respectfully.

"Come come now, no need for formalities." He bellowed a laugh. He glanced at his son and then back at her, "I hope my boy here hasn't been giving you too much grief."

Sokka rolled his eyes, bringing a hand to his face, "Daaad!"

Suki laughed half-heartedly, "No more then usual. And Katara has been a splendid hostess as well."

"Well, it's good to hear I managed to raise decent children." he laughed again, looking around at the group, "Now then, my daughter was just telling me supper was ready. Shall we?"

The group made their way back to the hut and Suki and Ty Lee helped Katara set more places.

As they ate, Hakoda filled them in about how things were progressing.

"Fire Lord Zuko has done a fine job choosing his new generals." Hokada noted.

"I'm sure Iroh has something to do with that." Toph added, taking a bite of penguin-seal meat.

"What did they think of Sokka's blueprints?" Suki asked, smiling as she saw Sokka suddenly beam out of the corner of her eye.

"They were quite pleased. Especially with the one that could go under water, like the ones we used on the Day of the Black Sun. They were glad to have those plans. They even called Teo's father in to help start the building process."

"So they actually liked them?" Sokka asked, his voice heavy in disbelief.

Hakoda nodded, "You did the Southern Water Tribe proud, son."

Sokka grinned like a fool and took another bite of food.

The chief turned to Suki, "So what have the Kyoshi warriors been doing now that the war is over?"

Suki swallowed her bite, "We've been helping out in Ba Sing Se. They've been having some problem while rebuilding the walls with keeping order between the people. Some of the more radical Earth Kingdom Citizens are having a hard time coping with the fact that the Fire Nation is no longer an enemy and that the war is over. We've been trying to keep the peace within the city." Hakoda nodded, "Basically we're the homeland security unit."

"Well, someone's got to do it." Sokka interjected, "Especially since the Dai Li have been compromised."

Suki inclined her head in agreement, "That's what Ty Lee and I have been assigned to. Since we've both been close to Azula we were asked to interrogate all of the Dai Li agents."

"Sounds like a tough job for you guys." Katara said.

"Is it ever!" Ty Lee laughed, "But if they try anything fishy…." She poked the air with her fingers aggressively.

Suki chuckled, "Yeah, if it wasn't for Ty Lee, I'd probably have been earthbent halfway to Omashu by now by some of the agents we've brought in for questioning."

Laughter ensued all around the table, "Well its good to see you are both here in once piece," Hakoda replied.

"I'm just glad we finally finished!" Ty Lee stretched her arms in the air, "Those interrogation rooms are so stuffy." She scrunched up her face.

Suki nodded once in agreement, "We found a few that were unwilling to help in the efforts to bring us back to peace with the Fire Nation. We let King Bumi deal with them."

They finished supper shortly after that. Sokka and his father went out for a walk as the girls cleaned up. Suki bid her friends good night and went with Ty Lee to the hut they had been given to use.

"You know its not so bad here." Ty Lee said, putting her hands behind her head and regarding the sky, "It's so peaceful. Kind of like a cold, icy Ember Island."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Suki looked over at her friend, "Thanks for coming with me"

Ty Lee smiled, "Of course, trust me, I'm in NO hurry to go back to see my parents."

Suki laughed, "I can understand. But at least you have them."

The acrobat shrugged as she entered their hut, "I suppose."

Suki followed her fellow Kyoshi warrior in and began getting ready for bed.

***********

Suki woke suddenly, hearing something outside the hut. She looked out the small window; it had to have been nearly midnight. Who would be outside at this time of night? Pulling her coat on and stepping carefully around the slumbering Ty Lee she inched quietly to the animal-skin door. She heard a laugh and then Sokka's voice. Suki lifted the side of the skin flap slightly. She could see the outline of Sokka and Toph in the distance. The earthbender was holding onto Sokka's arm tightly and was laughing at something he had said. Suki felt a tightening in her chest and heat rising to her face.

They walked out of her sight and she pulled her hood up. Being the stealth master she was, she stole out of the hut and followed. She quickly caught up, keeping low and hidden but still maintaining a line of sight. She strained to hear them but she was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying. All she could make out was them laughing. Toph's hand rose up suddenly and Sokka stood, laughing and leaning forward, knocking Toph into the snow and once again out of her sight. More laughter rose from the two into the silent night. The Kyoshi warrior blinked. Suki did not understand the tumult of feelings that were going through her at that moment. Feelings of anger, fear, confusion, rage, betrayal, and jealously rose in her throat. Tears welled up in the female warrior's eyes and she turned and ran back to the hut, staying low and undetected. When she reached the hut she threw the door flap back and dove under her covers, sobbing heavily.

Ty Lee rolled over, startled by the sudden noise and moments and turned curiously to her friend.

"Suki?" she asked, sleep still heavy in her voice, "Is something wrong?"

Suki lifted her head and look at her friend, "Sokka…and…and….Toph." was all she was able to say between her heavy sobs. Her whole body was shaking as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"What?!" Ty Lee looked quizzically at her, "How did you come to that assumption?"

"I…just…saw them." She cried again throwing herself into the blankets again.

Ty Lee pulled her up from the bed and hugged her, "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"But I saw it Ty Lee." She sniffed, shoulders still shaking violently, "With my own eyes."

"Well," Ty Lee seemed to be searching for the right thing to say, "How about we get some more sleep and we'll get to the bottom of this tomorrow."

Suki wiped her eyes, "Alright."

Suki woke up the next morning feeling tired. Her eyes felt swollen and puffy. Suddenly the sleep cleared and what had happened that night suddenly came to her in great clarity. Her heart felt like led in her chest. How could this be happening? She looked around for her companion but she was not there. Suki jumped as Ty Lee entered the tent with two bowls of food.

She looked up at her friend with question in her eyes. Ty Lee shook her head, "Neither of them are up yet. I wasn't able to ask." She handed Suki a bowl.

Suki nodded numbly and looked down at her food, she did not feel hungry in the least.

"Eat Suki, you need it." Ty Lee pushed the spoon towards her friend.

Suki did not move to eat. She just continued to sit there, trying to sort out the flurry of thoughts and emotions that were going through her mind.

Ty Lee started eating after staring at her entrapped friend for a bit. Worry creased her brow.

After awhile Suki set down her bowl and steeled her voice, "We're leaving today, Ty Lee." She replied.

"What?!" Ty Lee's eyes grew wide.

"We still have things to do in Ba Sing Se. And I want to go home for a awhile." Her voice had a tone of finality in it.

Ty Lee nodded, realizing that it was not just Suki saying this, it was the Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. She knew better then to disobey a superior's order, so Ty Lee just nodded again and continued eating her food.

Their boat was packed and ready shortly after. Katara and Sokka came out of their family's hut, matched expressions of confusion on their faces. Toph came out of her hut as well.

"Suki? " Sokka started towards her, "What's going on?"

Suki refused to look him in the face, "We're going home. I have things I need to do."

"Why so soon?" He reached to put a hand on her shoulder. She swatted it away looking at the ground and willing herself not to cry.

"Because I have to. Bye Sokka." She held back a sob and ran onto the boat, "Let's go Ty Lee!" She cried angrily behind her, trying to control the tone of her voice.

Ty Lee gave Sokka a look and then turned to her other friends; "We'll be in Ba Sing Se in a few weeks."

"Ty Lee!" Suki was starting to get angry and her voice reflected it, "NOW!"

Ty Lee turned and jumped onto the departing boat. Suki turned to look at the fast fading coastline and saw the look of hurt that crossed Sokka's face as he watched them sail away. It was then Suki collapsed to her knees and began sobbing heavily.

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Closing A/N: Yay all done with part 2. Sorry it's so short. Look out for Part 3 soon and dont forget to Read & Review~


	3. Part 3 Routine and Friendship

A/N : Here's Part 3! Please remember to review!

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After a few days of favorable weather they arrived at Kyoshi Island. There were workers on top of the roofs, fixing past war damage. One of the workers looked up and saw the ship approaching. He cried out to the others and heads turned. There was a flurry of activity and by the time the ship docked and the gangplank was secured the whole of Kyoshi stood at the shore. Looming over them was the statue of Avatar Kyoshi, welcoming her children back.

Ty Lee had spent the majority of the trip trying to cheer Suki up but with little success. The Kyoshi warrior leader felt hollow and numb, her eyes were sore from crying and she felt dehydrated. She attempted to smile at her people as she exited the boat but it was hard. It all felt so fake and forced. The villagers cheered and hollered and congratulated them for their success at Ba Sing Se.

They eventually made it through the throng of people to where the chief was waiting for them, a warm smile on his wrinkled face.

"Welcome home." he said as they approached.

"Thank you chief Oyaji." Suki bowed her head respectfully, trying to hide her face behind her hair.

"You two must be weary from your travels. Come, let us go sit and talk." He suggested, noticing the droop in Suki's shoulders.

They walked to the last building in town, passing the dojo on the way. Suki noted that it had a new roof and door panels. They finally made it up to Oyaji's home and Suki immediately went to one of the oversized cushions that surrounded the platform table and sat down, back stiff and head down, her hair still hiding her features and her hands on her lap. Oyaji eyes settled on Suki and he motioned to Ty Lee.

"How about you prepare some tea for us all?"

The acrobat nodded, understanding, and walked to the next room.

Oyaji made his way over to the other side of the table and took his seat, his eyes studying her.

"I've received word from Makiko. She and the other warriors seem to be doing well in Ba Sing Se." His voice was level and business like.

Suki nodded, "We are trained as warriors and guardians. We were made for this kind of work. It's our element, so the work comes second-nature." Her voice sounded strange to her, displaced, and rehearsed.

Oyaji grunted his agreement, folding his hands and resting his chin on them. "Dear child," his voice was softer this time, "I sense a great uneasiness within you."

She looked up at him surprised at the sudden change in the old man's voice, "It's…. nothing important." She could tell from the look on his face that he did not believe her in the least.

Ty Lee came back into the room with a platter donning a steaming pot and three cups. She approached the table and wordlessly served the tea.

"Suki," Oyaji said, lifting his cup and taking a sip. Ty Lee moved to sit next to Suki, "If there is anything wrong you know you can come to me."

"I know. " She sighed, taking her cup lightly in her hands and spinning it so that a small whirlpool formed in the center, "Something…happened at the South Pole. I'd just rather not talk about it right now."

Ty Lee shifted uneasily, worry written across her face.

Oyaji sighed, "You are so much like your mother. She did not care much to tell other people of things that bothered her either." He took a sip of tea, "But you are also a lot like your father, so strong and full of spirit. After they passed and I knew I was supposed to take you in. I knew that you would become a strong leader, and a strong woman. As you have become."

Suki looked up. Oyaji had rarely mentioned her parents before. She had hardly been old enough known them when the sickness had taken them from her.

"I'm sure you will work out whatever happened at the South Pole. You and your ancestors have a knack for solving misfortunes." he glanced over at the portrait of Avatar Kyoshi then winked at her.

Suki nodded again, picking up her tea and taking a sip.

It was cold.

********

Suki retired early that night, her mind racing. She walked into her room but realized how alien it looked compared to the places she had been over the past year. Had it really been that long since she had come home? Her things had been unloaded from the ship and put in a neat pile at the foot of her bed. Hanging on the wall was her Kyoshi garb, still torn and singed in places from her battle with Azula. However, draped across the foot board of her bed was the water tribe coat. Again her stomach rose to her throat and her heart felt like a lead weight in her chest. Tears crept up again and fell silently down her cheeks. She reached for it and held it to her face. It smelled like him still. Feeling her heart breaking again she climbed into her bed and curled up.

The next few days that passed, Suki had refused to get out of bed. Ty Lee had tried all she could to get her to come out but realized that it was no use. After the fourth day, Ty Lee just sighed and told her that if she needed anything just to call her.

After a week of barely leaving her room Suki decided that she needed to start practicing her routines again. She got up and began putting on her Kyoshi attire. Looking into the mirror she could see the dark circles that shined underneath her eyes, there due to her inability to sleep for more then a few hours at a time. Opening a drawer she pulled out her face paint and began applying it.

No one stopped her as she exited her house and walked to the dojo. They actually gave her quite a wide berth, whispering to each other as she passed. Upon entering the familiar building she went to the storage room to retrieve a pair of training fans. While her clothes had been returned to her from the Fire Nation, her fans had been lost. She walked to the center of the large, empty room, turned and bowed to the portrait of Avatar Kyoshi and began her routine.

Step. Arm forward. Step. Slash with the left. Turn. Step. Jab.

She continued this, over and over, focusing on keeping her breathing even and her thoughts in check. But she felt it. In every step and every arch of her arms and spin of her body she felt her composure begin to deteriorate. Memories flashed thorough her mind's eye. The first time she met him. They sparred and he fell, humiliated. How he had come back the next day, humbly asking her to train him. How the fire benders attacked and Sokka had saved her from Zuko's fire blast. She remembered their last moment together, behind the dojo....

At this last thought she swung her arm in a large wide arch, the fan she held flew from her grasp and embedded itself in a wooden beam 100 yards away.

"How could you?!" She screamed, arching her other arm and chucking the other fan across the room and through one of the paper panels of a door. She let her body fall forward so she landed on her stomach, her arms crossed and her forehead resting on them. Her entire body shook as she sobbed. She hardly heard the door slide open and the two people come in.

"Oh my," Oyaji began.

"Don't worry." It was Ty Lee's voice, "I've got her." Suki could feel Ty Lee coming closer through vibrations in the tatami mats but she refused to look up. Oyaji said something in return that she did not catch and he left, closing the door with a quiet click.

There was a sound of shifting fabric as Ty Lee kneeled down next to her fellow warrior.

"Suki," She pleaded with her friend, "Please sit up."

Suki lay there for a moment, half thinking of not getting up. But she remembered her friends 'talents' and thought better. She tucked her arms underneath her and pushed herself up so that she was sitting on her feet, knees forward. She looked down at her arms; her bracers were covered in pink makeup, the red and white mixed with her tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ty Lee asked, moving closer and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. She was wearing her Kyoshi garb as well, sans the face paint.

Suki shook her head but her lips parted, "I just…. don't understand, Ty Lee." Suki looked at her friend through blurred eyes, "How could he do this?"

Ty Lee was looking straight at her, obviously struggling to come up with a good answer or explanation.

"I went there for him." Suki looked away from Ty Lee and at her now clenched fists that rested on her knees, "Just to see him. And nearly every day I spent there he was off with _her_, fishing or hunting or whatever they were doing!" She choked back a sob, "And then he just….just…they.." her lip trembled as she tried to hold back.

"I…I don't know Suki." Ty lee's voice sound strained, "I wish I did, but I don't."

Suki was silent for a minute, "I should have seen this coming." The words came out quietly.

Ty Lee started, "What? But how could you possibly-"

Suki cut her off, "They get along so well. And I've seen how she acts around him. And that time I saved her from drowning at the Serpent's Pass." She turned to her friend, "I told you about that."

"Oh…" Ty Lee looked away shamefully.

Suki nodded, "It hurts. More then anything I've ever felt before. Some unbelievable pain I didn't think I'd ever feel." her voice began to shake but she steeled herself, bringing a clenched hand to her chest, "But I saw what I saw." Tears began to fall from her grey-blue eyes, "Maybe, it would have been better if I had stayed at Boiling Rock."

Ty Lee breathed in sharply, "You can't really mean that!"

"I think..I really do." She replied.

"Suki…." Ty Lee hugged her, "I'm sorry."

The Kyoshi warrior leader just nodded, "We should get ready and start for Ba Sing Se tomorrow. We still have some work to do."


	4. Part 4 Unexpected

A/N: *dies* Okay this part really kicked my arse but I finally got it! Here is the 4th and final part to Betrothed. Thank you for reading and please remember to review!

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The sea breeze hit her face and she inhaled and exhaled evenly. Ty Lee came rushing at her, hands poised to attack. Suki turned as the acrobat lunged for her and spun around her, knocking her lightly on the back of the head.

"You haven't been practicing enough." The Kyoshi leader noted. This was the fifth spar she had won.

Ty Lee laughed nervously, "I guess I spent too much time playing around back home. I'll work on it!"

"Please do." Suki wiped the sweat that was forming on her forehead, "I'm done for today. Do your exercises if you want."

Ty Lee nodded and began her routine. Suki walked to the edge of the small ship and leaned against the side, letting her hands hang over. Cool sea spray flew up onto her face as the bow broke against the waves. It was refreshing, but it did not chase the rising feeling she was getting in her gut. Everything in her was telling her to go back the South Pole and find Sokka, but she just couldn't. Things were different now, whether she liked it or not. Her vision blurred as tears rose to her eyes; she quickly wiped them away and watched the sun begin to set. She tried to keep herself from wondering what he might be doing right then. Several different ideas came to her mind, a few of which she did not quite care for. She shook her head, trying to drive the thought away. A chill breeze struck her then and she shivered. She looked back at Ty Lee who was still doing exercises.

"It's getting cold. You may want to stop soon"

Ty Lee stopped and nodded, then jumped into a handstand.

Suki continued walking and went down into her quarters. As she opened the door she could see the blue and white fur-lined coat hanging over the edge of her hammock. She walked in and picked it up, wrapping it around her and running her hands over the soft material. It had been his; he told her that Katara had made it a few winters back, but he had since grown out of it. She looked at the fasteners, small blue-grey hand crafted stones. She knew those were done by him, because carved into each one was a small boomerang. He told her they reminded him of her eyes when he had given it to her. They were smooth to the touch but she could feel where the symbol had been dug into the stone. She laughed sadly, the tears she had been holding back began falling down her cheeks.

"You miss him don't you?"

Suki jumped at the voice, "H-how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." Ty Lee responded, leaning against the door frame, "Suki, you need to talk to him. At least send him a letter."

"No Ty Lee. I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just…can't."

"Doesn't seem like a very good reason to me." the fire nation girl crossed her arms.

"You don't understand."

"Don't I? Suki, you need to remember. I used to like Sokka too. And I know how it feels to get your heart broken."

There was a quick intake of breath as Suki's head snapped in Ty Lee's direction, "What?"

Ty Lee nodded, coming into the room and planting herself on a chair, "Yup, awhile ago. Back before I really knew you. I mean honestly Suki, he's not a hard guy to like. Even if he is a little…." She motioned in the air, searching for the word.

"Dull witted?"

Ty Lee laughed lightly, "If you say so."

"I admit, he is a little slow sometimes. But he makes up for it in his tactical genius. And his humor is top notch."

"You defend him so well."

Unsure of what to say Suki just looked at her friend.

"What I'm trying to say is that Sokka had plenty of options in the past. Plenty of girls he could be with. And he chose you."

"No, Ty Lee," She steeled her gaze and looked at her friend, "He chose Toph." she choked slightly as she said the earth bender's name. She had thought it so many times but to actually come out and say it; it felt like a bolt of Azula's lightning went through her chest.

"Suki…" Ty Lee strained to think of something to say as she watched her friend turn away and pull Sokka's coat tighter around her.

"Ty Lee. I'm tired." Suki said, her back to her friend, "Please leave."

The brown haired girl stared after Suki, "Suki, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Please Ty Lee, " There was pain in her voice, "Just leave."

She got up and went to leave, at the door she turned and saw Suki crawl into the hammock, shaking slightly with sobs.

***

Ty Lee avoided Suki for the rest of the voyage. Suki felt she should apologize to her friend, but she was still sore at the acrobat for making her face what she had been trying to convince herself otherwise of for so long. Sure, she was being immature, but she was in so much pain, so much hurt and she just did not care anymore. They made it through the customs port and arrived at the large walled city within an hour. Suki was surprised to see that the walls were almost completely rebuilt. People were going about their daily business and a large array of different nation's ships were docked in the harbor. A cabbage merchant pushed his cart, whistling happily.

Their ship found a place a little ways down, docking next to a fire nation ship. It was one of the older ones, crude and completely made of metal. There were places where it had been patched up, probably from damage from the war. Ty Lee was walking silently next to Suki as they exited and she gasped suddenly,

"That's Zuko's boat!" She pointed at the metal ship, her eyes wide in surprise.

"What?" Suki looked at her companion, "Why would he be here?"

Ty Lee shrugged, "I'm pretty sure it is though."

"Well whether it is or not is none of our concern." Suki brandished the gold and green scroll that she had received back on Kyoshi Island, waving it in front of her friend's face, "We have work to do."

She nodded, understanding. As they reached the end of the dock they were greeted by some of the other Kyoshi warriors.

"It's so good to see you Suki!" a girl with long, black hair said, hugging her.

"Same to you Makiko." Suki smiled weakly, "How have things been going here?"

"Very well. We've nearly finished training a new set of guards to help with security in the city."

"And the Dai Li?"

"We haven't heard a word from them. It seems like you two managed to get the last of them locked up."

"Let's hope they never get out," Ty Lee laughed, "They'll be pretty angry at us."

Makiko laughed as well, "They wouldn't stand a chance. Even with Earth bending!"

Another Kyoshi warrior came running up to them, a scroll in her hand. She reached them and stopped, trying to catch her breath a look of worry on her face.

"Jai?" Suki regarded the girl, "is something wrong?"

She panted, "The…Earth King…wants to….see you and Ty Lee…immediately." She was clutching her side.

"Did you run all the way from the palace?" Ty Lee's eyes widened at Jai nodded.

"Okay." Suki nodded, taking the scroll from Jai and looking over it quickly, "Let's go Ty Lee."

She walked through the group of girls, closely followed by the acrobat, and made her way through the outer level of Ba Sing Se. They boarded the monorails and sat in silence as they flew through the city. They eventually made it to the heart of the city. Rich houses lined the bright, paved roads and were guarded behind iron gates. Ty Lee said something about it always being so shiny, like the inner level of the Fire Nation Capitol. Suki just nodded. The monorail slowed as they reached the station and the doors slid open.

A familiar face appeared from the other side. He had grown a little bit taller and there was more definition to his face. His blue arrow tattoos seemed to shine slightly in the sunlight.

"Suki! Ty Lee! Welcome back to Ba Sing Se!" The Avatar grinned.

She could not help but laugh, "Aang? What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, "Zuko and I finished everything we needed to do at the Capitol and decided this was the next stop. How about you?" he strained to look behind her into the monorail, "Where's Sokka? I'm surprised he's not here with you."

Suki was aware of Ty Lee behind her waving her arms in an "x" type motion, trying to tell him to stop.

A look of concern crossed his face, as he looked from Ty Lee to Suki, "Did something happen with you guys?"

Suki shook her head, fighting off the tears she knew would come if she tried explaining, "Don't worry about it. It is my issue."

"If you say so…" He replied, obviously not convinced. There was a short silence as they stood there.

"Um…we have to go see the Earth King." Suki held up the scroll Jai had delivered to her.

"Oh yeah! Right!" Aang laughed nervously, "He sent me here to get you. Let's go."

They followed Aang to the palace. Heads turned as people watched the Avatar stroll lightly up the stairs. They entered the large building and were escorted by the guards to the King's throne room. Basco bellowed as they entered, Ty Lee smiled, flitting over to the fuzzy creature and petting him. He licked her face and she laughed.

"It seems that Bosco remembers you." The Earth King said, laughter shining in his eyes.

Suki bowed slightly to him, "You wanted to see us?"

"Oh yes!" he adjusted his glasses, "I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done with the Dai Li."

"It seems that you two have managed to quell them all and retrieve the information the Earth Kingdom needed to help rebuild relations with the Fire Nation." A familiar voice added.

Suki looked over at the old man who had walked up. His beard was now trimmed and orderly, coming to three points, the rest of his hair was pulled back in a fire nation bun and held in place with a gold band. However, he donned earth nation clothing. The green making his golden yellow eyes glow.

"Iroh!" Suki gasped, surprised to see the old fire nation general, "What are you doing here?"

"Doing my part. Much like we all are." He smiled warmly at the auburn haired girl.

Suki shook her head, the scroll heavy in her hand. She turned back to the Earth King, "Is there something else you needed us for. These scrolls seemed very urgent."

"Humm." The King scratched his chin, "Are they now? Well, I supposed whatever it was has been settled now. Welcome back to Ba Sing Se." He laughed.

Suki groaned and rolled her eyes. The King never changed. Iroh walked over to her.

"Come, my dear. Let us go to the other room and have some tea." The old man grinned.

"Alright." She turned to her other companion, "Ty Lee?"

"I'm going to stay and try to teach Bosco to walk on his front paws," The former circus performer smiled, "He almost had it last time."

Suki nodded as she and Iroh left the throne room. He led her to a sitting room two doors over. It was decorated in gold and pale green. The sunlight shone through a large window, making the gold accents around the room shine. In the middle of the room was a platform table with dark green cushions around it. Sitting on the table was a tea set that looked very out of place. It was red and gold, a dragon wrapped around it, the creature's head was the spout and the tail formed the handle. Iroh motioned for her to sit, and she did. He poured her tea, then his own and sat down across from her.

"So, your trip here was pleasant I hope?"

"Another boat ride. You've ridden one boat, you've ridden them all. It never really changes." She sipped on her tea. It was jasmine, as she had expected.

"Indeed." The old man nodded.

"How is your tea shop?"

"Absolutely flourishing. The customers quite enjoy it there. And I now have a new worker there, a kind girl by the name of Jin. She and Zuko went out on a date once."

Suki smiled, remembering the story, "Does she know who Zuko is now?"

"She has never mentioned one way or another. But that may be for the better." Iroh winked at her.

Suki set down her tea, looking down at her hands.

"Is there something bothering you my dear?"

Suki debated telling the old man. She had always heard he was good at giving advice, but she was unsure of how to ask.

"I've heard you give really good advice."

"I just help to shed light on situations that need it." He replied wisely, pouring himself more tea.

"Something happened last time I was at the South Pole." She swallowed, afraid to continue, "Something with Sokka…" And from there she explained what had happened. How she had followed him and had seen him and Toph.

Iroh sat there quietly as she talked, nodding when appropriate and paying full attention to her story.

"And now…I just don't know what to do. It's such a mess. I'm such a mess."

Iroh looked at her, "Sometimes, even the foulest smelling thing can be sweet to the taste. You must not judge things as seem to be, but as they truly are. And if you do not know that truth, then you have never taken the opportunity to find out."

Suki digested his words. He was right in so many ways. But she knew what she had seen, and what she felt.

"Maybe your right. But….I don't think there's any hope for me."

"Self-doubt is the first step to self-destruction. The heart is fickle and tricky. The eyes can deceive and the mind can misinterpret. You must find out by speaking from your heart."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is only as easy as you make it." He closed his eyes and took a sip of tea.

Suki sighed, "You _are_ pretty wise."

"I have lived for some time. You pick things up." He smiled at her, "Just listen to your heart. It will tell you what to do."

She nodded and looked at her reflection in her tea, "Thank you Iroh."

"Of course, young lady. You should come by my shop some time."

"I'll make sure to." She stood, "Thank you for the tea."

"You are quite welcome."

She turned and walked back to the throne room to get Ty Lee.

"Done already?" She asked, walking over to Suki on her hands.

"Yes. Now come one lets go find where we're staying and settle in."

Suki lay on the down feather bed, the pale moonlight shining over her as it streamed through the small window. She thought about what the old fire nation general had said. His advice had been turning in her head all day, but it did not help her make up her mind on anything. She did know that she would eventually have to stop running away and talk to Sokka. But she did not know if she was strong enough for that yet. She turned and reached out for the coat. It was the only thing she had of his, and she unconsciously cherished it. She constantly caught herself reaching for it during the daytime, even though it was quite warm in the Earth Kingdom. Wearing a coat would be absurd, especially one made for the South Pole.

Thoughts churned over and over in her head. Making up her mind had never been so difficult; before she knew it she had drifted off to sleep.

She woke the next morning by someone shaking her.

"Suki, wake up!" Ty Lee shook her shoulders again.

She at up, rubbing the sleep in her eyes, "Ty Lee? What's the matter?"

"We have somewhere we need to go. Now."

Suki blinked, there was an odd sternness in Ty Lee's voice, "Where's the fire?" she half laughed.

Ty Lee giggled, "Just get up and get dressed, Iroh sent word that he wants us to visit him at the Jasmine Dragon."

Suki nodded and swung her legs out of bed, "Alright alright. I'm awake. Just give me a few minutes."

"Okay," Ty Lee walked to the door, "I'll be out here." and she closed the door.

Suki stood and stretched, Ty Lee was acting odd this morning and she wanted to know why. She ran through a few possibilities while she got dressed but none of them made sense.

When she entered the living room, the acrobat was walking along the edge of a table on her hands.

"Finally," She sighed, twisting and landing on her feet.

"I don't get why you're in such a hurry. It's not like the shop is going anywhere."

Ty Lee shrugged, "I just want to get there early. And if I had let you, you would have slept all day."

Suki laughed, "And that's a problem how?"

"Lets go." Ty Lee chuckled.

They left the house and made their way down the cobble stone road. It was a bit of a walk to the teashop, which stood just before the wall to the outer level of the city, before the craftsman's district. The two girls eventually made it; the sign hanging out front shone in the sunlight, a carved teacup sat at the corner with a steam dragon curled itself around the words 'The Jasmine Dragon'.

Iroh came out through the hanging cloth door and started when he saw Ty Lee and Suki.

"Well, look who it is!" He smiled, "Welcome to The Jasmine Dragon. We are just opening up." The old man's hair was down today and he donned an apron.

"We wanted to be your first customers today." Ty Lee smiled at him.

"Well it seems you have succeeded. Come in, come in." He motioned to the girls to follow him.

"Customers already?" A girl's voice inquired.

Suki and Ty Lee entered to see a girl about their age behind the counter. Her brown hair was pulled up into a poofy ponytail and she donned an apron identical to Iroh's.

"Old friends from the Island of Kyoshi." He nodded, smiling.

"You must me Jin." Suki said smiling at the girl, "I'm Suki and this is Ty Lee."

"That would be me and-" she looked at Suki, "You said your name is Suki?" She turned to Iroh, "Isn't that-"

He held up a hand to stop her. Jin and Iroh's eyes met and she nodded, understanding some unspoken though.

"Well, I'll go make some tea for everyone." Jin said, turning her back to them.

Iroh sat down with a slight grunt, "Old age seems to be catching up." He laughed weakly.

Ty Lee flitted over to the table and sat down next to him. Suki moved to go to a seat herself but Iroh stopped her.

"Suki, would you mind terribly going upstairs for me? I seem to have forgotten my sash, but my old bones are particularly achy this morning."

"Oh," Suki blinked, "I suppose so."

"Thank you kindly."

Suki turned towards the stairs that led to the living quarters above the shop. She thought she heard movement behind the door so she knocked. It opened slowly.

She had not been prepared for the face that appeared. Her grey blue eyes met with two bright blue ones and she nearly fell backwards down the stairs. His quick hands caught her around the waist and she hurried to correct herself.

"S-sokka?!" she stammered, frantically trying to look anywhere but at him, "What are you doing here?"

He stepped aside, she could feel his eyes on her but he did not answer.

"I-I…" She tried to think of something to say as she walked passed him and into the room. He closed the door and faced her. Suki could feel the tears coming to her eyes as he waited for her to continue, "Sokka…"

His gazed dropped from her, "What happened?"

She looked at him confused and unsure what to say. Thoughts were colliding in her brain.

"Why did you leave so suddenly? You seemed angry at me." He looked at her, his face stern but still sad, "And I still don't understand why."

"I….it…." she looked down, "it was a lot of things." As she said it memory of everything she had felt when leaving the water tribe came back, anger took over her.

"I-I went there to see you. That's the only reason I went to the South Pole. And…and the whole time you spent it away." Tears fell freely from her eyes, "And you spent all the time there with Toph."

"Suki, I can explain-" Sokka started to say, but she held up a hand interrupting him.

"I think I already know what you're going to say."

"You do?" He looked at her confused.

"The night before I left….I….followed you and Toph. I saw what happened, until you knocked her into the snow."

"What?"

"You and her…I should have seen it coming." She clenched her fists, trying to keep herself from shaking.

"Me and TOPH!?" Sokka's jaw hung open, "You think she and I…" he started to laugh.

Suki looked up at him, "But I saw…"

"What you saw was Toph teasing me about…something" his mouth twitched, "There's nothing between us Suki. I swear. What you saw was two old friends going for a walk at night. I needed to talk to her about something."

"In the middle of the night?"

"It was something important. I didn't want anyone to hear us."

"And you couldn't talk to her about it in all that time that you two spent fishing, or whatever you two were doing."

Sokka looked hurt at the edge in Suki's voice, "Suki..I…"

"I want to know what is going on Sokka. Why did you spend all your time away? You _knew_ I went all that way to see you."

"Yeah but I hadn't expected it so soon. I thought I had more time."

"More time for what?" Suki narrowed her eyes at him, tears threatening to spill again.

He scowled, "This isn't how I wanted to do this."

Suki was confused, "Do what?"

Sokka closed his eyes and sighed, when he opened them back up he looked at her, "Suki, I'm sorry I spent so much time away when you were at the South Pole. I really am. But I was working on something very important." He walked over to her, "I wanted to do this later this summer but I didn't think I'd finish it so soon."

Suki looked at him puzzled, "Sokka? What is going on?"

He inhaled then exhaled, and faced her. He reached into his pocked and pulled something out, "The reason I was away is because I was working on this." He put out his hand towards Suki and opened his hand palm up.

Sitting in his hand was a necklace. Two gold rings to attached a round green-blue stone to a soft blue band. Engraved on the stone was a fan with a boomerang inside it. Suki's eyes grew wide as she realized what it was.

"Oh Sokka…" She reached out a hand to it, slowly as if she was afraid it would burn her if she touched it.

"We've been through a lot together since we first met." He said, "But no matter what happened you've always been there to support me. You put up with me and my jokes and even my crazy ideas. You're always by my side and I would never want it any other way. The reason I was spending so much time with Toph is because she was helping me make this. There's metal in it and I wouldn't have been able to do it by myself. I made it that way because metal lasts longest…almost forever" He paused for a moment, the next things he said in a much softer voice, "and Suki, I want you to be by my side forever. Will you…." he gulped, "Marry me?"

A rush of relief flew over Suki and she flew into his arms nearly knocking him off his feet. Her tears fell freely, "Yes Sokka! A million times yes!"

He relaxed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, "I'm so sorry for what happened at the South Pole. And that you spent this whole time thinking that I was with Toph."

Suki pulled back and looked at him, "I should be the one who's sorry. I jumped to conclusions."

"I still could have been a little more honest."

She thought about it for a moment, "Yeah, you could have." She agreed.

He laughed as he let go of her and put the necklace on her, "You weren't supposed to agree to that." he clasped it then slid his arms around her waist, "But I'll let you off this time. But seriously though, I'm really sorry that I did that to you. It wasn't right or fair of me to-"

Suki cut him off, bringing her mouth to his. After a moment she pulled back, a coy smile on her face "You talk to much."

He laughed, leaning in to return her kiss. Suddenly there was a giggle from the doorway. Suki quickly pulled back, blushing madly.

Sokka laughed as he let go of her and they turned to the doorway. Ty Lee, Iroh, Katara, Aang and Toph stood there, smiles on their familiar faces.

"So Snoozles, you finally did it huh?" Toph said coming forward and punching Sokka in the arm.

Suki laughed, actually happy to see the earth bender, "Thank you Toph."

"I didn't do anything. Just bent a little metal and kept idea guy here from going insane." She shrugged.

Katara came forward and hugged Suki, "I'm so glad you said yes. I wish I could have told you when you were visiting. But Sokka would have killed me." She laughed as her brother nodded.

"A happy ending it seems for all." Iroh said, "Now come. I will put on some of my rare dragon flower tea and we will celebrate." He turned and Toph, Katara, Aang and Ty Lee followed him out.

Suki turned to Sokka and kissed him lightly, "So, if Toph wasn't into you so much. Why was she so giggly that night? It seems kind of out of her character."

"Oh, she and Zuko are dating now. He sent her a hawk asking formally that night."

"Wait…Zuko and….TOPH?!" Suki tried to digest it.

"Yup. Zuko and Toph."

"But….how?" She blinked.

"Well, It's kind of a long story."

Suki nodded, bringing a hand to the stone at her throat, "Well, we have all the time in the world now." She smiled at him.

"That we do." He leaned in and kissed her deeply, "Now we better get down there before they come back up."

Suki laughed and let him lead her downstairs.

She had never felt happier in her entire life. This was her place.


End file.
